Perhaps the fourth time is the charm for Telltale. They have been working away at their Tales of Monkey Island series for a while now, and with each game they become a bit more comfortable with the franchise and its characters. The fourth installment sees Guybrush and company head back to Flotsam Island. Morgan le Fley has, against her better judgment, turned Guybrush in to the Marquis de Singe. He is to be tried, and if found guilty, put to death.
If this sounds grim, that’s because it is, up to a point. Telltale may have mastered the art of a light, breezy Monkey Island adventure, but they are also happy to play with the formula a bit, from a thematic and plot standpoint. Of course, you now have to ask yourself this: does Guybrush really die?
He does (or so we think!), and he does so right after having saved everyone in the Caribbean (or so we think!). That is the kind of story this is. It’s the fourth act, and obviously the fifth and final one is going to be a hell of an experience. The designers have a villain to kill, a hero to redeem (and resurrect?), and a host of loose ends to tie up.
Surprisingly, delightfully, this cast of characters has somehow wormed its way under my skin. From the outset, I was ready to dismiss Le Fley, de Singe, human Le Chuck, and Poxy Elaine (not to mention your first mate, Mr. Winslow) as annoying characters with barely tolerable voices. While I still don’t care for some of the voice work, the story has done its job: I’m worried about Guybrush, I want the villain dead, and it is absolutely great to see Elaine back in fine form kicking ass.
The episode takes its time getting to its gripping ending. There is, unsurprisingly, a trial, which means that we get to play through a classic adventure game hub: Guybrush must beat the bushes looking for allies, alibis, and anything else that might help exonerate him of the crimes he has supposedly committed.
Of course, Guybrush doesn’t just have to contend with an angry island full of righteous, poxy pirates: his old enemy, the Marquis de Singe, is, as always, hot on his heels. The Marquis believes that Guybrush (and his recently de-poxed body) contains the secret to a long and possibly eternal life. He of wants this mysterious essence of Pox (and Threepwood) above all else, and he resorts to all manner of dastardly tactics to try to wrest this substance from Guybrush, and ultimately, Elaine.
The game relies on a sudden change in pace and (to a lesser extent) location, when the trial reaches its abrupt end. Guybrush goes from desperately defending himself to haggardly chasing after Elaine, who is now some strange combination of her former self, a zombie, and all of the worst piratical urges of the former Zombie Pirate Le Chuck. Of course, when Pox Elains isn’t plundering and pillaging the town, she becomes aware of the existence of Le Fley, and more importantly, the close relationship Morgan and Guybrush formed during their sojourn in the belly of a manatee.
What follows may not be terribly original, but the friendly, familiar cast sells their tale of mistaken prosecution and pox-fueled jealousy.
In fact, that is the most positive thing I could possibly say about this episode. It may be flawed in different ways, but the cast, the story, and the style of humor employed by Telltale have all established themselves, more or less. There is no more of the instability and lack of clarity found in the first episode. Most of the jokes are hits, and even the ones that aren’t still manage to make a valiant attempt. You will not find any unpleasant, plodding puzzles, like the assault on Winslow’s ship in Episode One.
Instead, the game has embraced its roots, and found inspiration in its own small branch of the larger Monkey Island mythology. Jokes use previous jokes and setups to great effect. Guybrush’s exploits in the first episode are in fact fodder for the entire episode, inspiring plot points, characters, and whole sequences. Even more surprising, the previously boring island of Flotsam is now full of a fetid kind of life. You can more fully explore the locations, and there are always amusing individuals ready to help you along with a few laughs.
This is never more so than when you are arguing with or talking to Stan. Our favorite oddly colored jacket-wearing sleazy salesman is back, and this time, he has his work cut out for him. Not only is Stan acting as the unreliable prosecution, he spends part of his time outside of the courthouse selling memorabilia from the Trial of Guybrush Threepwood. Stan isn’t quite as jocular and outrageous as he was in previous installments, but he feels right in this episode.
Again, that is how this episode feels: right. The puzzles are great, my favorite being a daring prison escape wherein Guybrush (who is his own defense) impersonates himself and convinces his guard to save himself (the prosecutor) from himself (the prisoner) it’s a hilarious bit of writing and acting, and moments like this abound, whether its Stan railing against Guybrush’s continued mistreatment of the salesman, or Le Chuck’s recounting of the whole cast’s colorful history. The series has been building up steam for a while now, and I cannot wait to see what they do with the final installment.
The Good:
Back in the Saddle: Guybrush and company finally seem to have hit their stride. The same can be said for the game’s general tone and the arc of the story.
Less of an Episode: For whatever reason, these puzzles feel less temporary and thruway. They feel like the puzzles one finds in any game, and they tie into the jokes well.
The Bad:
Looks can be everything: Character models that aren’t key characters (admittedly few and far between in this episode) still look undercooked.
The Ugly:
Please Change the Controls!: The controls are still bad. It doesn’t matter what scheme you use. They’re unintuitive and bad.
Playthrough: Played through the entire episode. Played a digital copy provided by LucasArts.
Recommendation: If you already bought the first three episodes, this is an easy and quick purchase. If you are still on the fence about the episodes, you had better have a pretty good reason for your reticence.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
